Assessment Status Notes

Taxonomic notes

The species is characterized by resupinate basidiomes and large globose basidiospores (Gorjón et al. 2013).

Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?

This corticioid basidiomycetous wood-inhabiting fungus is host specific, restricted to Fitzroya cuppresoides (EN, IUCN Species Red List) and extremely rarely found on Austrocedrus chilensis (NT, IUCN Species Red List). For the first one there has been an estimated reduction in the quality of habitat across its total range and over-exploitation; it is nowadays effectively protected in Argentinean national parks though its major distribution occurs in southern Chile. Anthropogenic disturbances linked with cattle ranching and browsing, fire and forest disease caused by Phytophthora austrocedri menace A. chilensis.
The species has not been found in surveys in neighboring Chilean forests (Gorjón & Hallenberg 2012).

Criteria:
A2c VU: this criterium can be applied considering that in the past the main host has been intensively exploited and its population reduced until effective protection within national parks in Argentina 80 years ago, while its situation is still endangered in southern Chile.
D1 CE: this criterium considers that a restricted population is actually present, based on the few specimens that have been found in areas with F. cupressoides, and the fact tha A. chilensis forests have been intensive and regularly surveyed along 15 years and only one specimen has been recovered (i.e. unfrequent host).
Due the number of specimens actually found + a life-span of 20-30 years as wood-inhabiting fungus + long-time attachment of branches to the stem it is acceptable to span the life of the species over 3 generations to over 100 years, when the main host was severely affected by logging.

Population and Trends

Known from 8 specimens, 7 on F. cupressoides and 1 on A. chilensis, all from 3 different localities not further than 150 km away from each other.
Population size has surely diminished in the past and is still so in most of its purported distributional range (i.e. following F. cupressoides). Protected areas in Argentina guarant a stable condition in the last decades. But the species is infrequent.

Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology

Grows on dead or living, attached branches of native conifers listed in the IUCN.

Subantarctic Forest

Threats

Small population of the most frequent host (F. cupressoides), which is EN because of anthropogenic activities (extraction in the past, farming, fire, among others).

Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]

Conservation Actions

Host protection is crucial to guarantee the population of this fungal species.

Research needed

Geographic range needs to be assessed, especially in Chile.
Ecological requirements are highly desirable to understand the fungal presence and distribution.